Aquarium
The aquarium is undoubtedly the most important element for successful aquarium keeping. There are a few points to bear in mind when buying an aquarium. An aquarium should be of decent quality and, in my opinion, larger aquariums in particular should be purchased from experienced aquarium manufacturers. If an aquarium starts to leak, it’s a huge hassle – you have to set everything up again from scratch and the aquarium needs to be cycled all over again.
But what should you look out for when buying one?
Buy from experienced aquarium manufacturers, even if it costs a few euros more.
Check the silicone seals; larger aquariums should be double-sealed.
Glass thickness: Small aquariums of 50 to 80 litres can have a glass thickness of 6 mm. Larger aquariums up to 240 litres should be 8 mm, and even larger ones of 300 or 350 litres should be 10 mm. The larger the aquarium, the thicker the glass should be.
Why? For greater stability, of course; larger aquariums are subject to greater water pressure, so the glass needs to be stronger and more stable. Another point is that the thicker the glass, the greater the bonding surface area for the silicone, which increases the aquarium’s lifespan.
White glass or float glass? The main difference is that float glass has a slight green tinge. You can mainly see this when looking at the glass from the side. It isn’t as noticeable with thinner glass. White glass, on the other hand, has no green tinge, but is also significantly more expensive. In terms of stability, there is no difference. I think it’s a matter of personal preference or how much you’re willing to spend.
Next point: the bracing. Particularly with large aquariums, it’s important that they are braced at the top, both lengthways and crossways, with strips of glass. This provides much greater stability and takes the strain off the silicone joints. There are aquarium manufacturers, such as ADA from Japan, who omit these for aesthetic reasons. Thanks to years of experience, these aquariums don’t cause any problems either. Furthermore, they’re only manufactured up to a certain size.
The final and equally important point: what sort of fish do you want to keep in your aquarium, and what size tank do your fish require? For example, you couldn’t keep angelfish in an 80-litre aquarium. For angelfish, I’d recommend at least 500 litres. You shouldn’t keep a betta fish in a 30-litre aquarium either; here, I’d recommend at least 60 litres. Find out in advance, based on your fish, what size aquarium you’ll need. One thing’s for sure: the bigger, the better.
Terrarium
You can buy a terrarium ready-made or, with a bit of DIY skill, build one yourself, for example from OSB boards.
Size is also important here. What do you want to keep? What are your reptiles’ needs? For example, a chameleon lives in trees and likes to climb, so the terrarium should, above all, be tall. Then there’s the question of what type of terrarium: a desert or rainforest terrarium.
A terrarium should also have adequate ventilation, but without any draughts.
With a bit of skill, you can also build a terrarium into a piece of furniture, such as a cupboard.
There are no limits to your imagination here.
